A Love That's Alive
by Captain Samantha Lovegood
Summary: Victor has been happily married to Victoria for two years. Everything is fine until he has an unfortunate accident, and Victor ends up dead. Oh, and did I mention he falls in love with Emily?
1. Of Introductions and Accidents

**Chapter One**: Of Introductions and Accidents

He was looking out the window of the small, pink colored room out onto the gray, depressing streets of Victorian England, wondering why anyone would feel the need to reside in such a dismal place, and what was holding him back there, when suddenly a tiny yawn startled his thoughts and made him smile. Then he knew what was holding him back, making him stay in this dreadful place after all. He reached down and brushed his hand over the fuzzy head of his daughter, who had just woken from her nap. She yawned again and squirmed underneath all her blankets. Quickly he picked her up and held her in his arms, loving the way her large blue eyes sparkled at him. And then, she did something unusual.

She smiled.

She astounded him; whenever the cruel yet common factors of life got him, she could always cheer him up with a smile. If anything she did not deserve to have a father like him, but a palace full of servants to tend to her every need…

She a very special little girl, he thought, to be born when she was. Her birthday was but three days after Christmas, the Lord's birthday, and not that long after he had married his wife. She was special. With big blue eyes and tiny black tuffs of hair and a smile like no other, there was no doubt she was not an attractive baby…and she already could speak a few words English, which meant she was clever. Yes, Victor Van Dort thought, his Lily _was_ perfect.

But not was his luck, as the story goes on…

That day Victor was especially cheerful and offered to take his beautiful wife, Victoria, on a walk. He was all ready, with a coat over his torso and grin on his face. Victoria Van Dort, however, was not too keen on leaving a one-year-old alone in her home with just a few servants to watch her.

"I'll come some other time," she said to him, "when Lily is still sleeping. You can't always trust those people, you know, most of them are quite elderly."

"Alright," replied Victor, bending over and kissing his wife's cheek. "Good-bye. I love you."

And with that, he was off. First he strode over to market to watch the workers at their jobs, and then over to the bridge to thin a little. Visiting the bridge was always the hardest part for him. It amazed him that something that had happened two years ago could still bother him so much, but everytime he looked out onto the sky he found himself thinking of her. Emily. A dead woman whom he had set free and, of all things, married. And by total mistake, as well. But it had helped him fall even more in love with Victoria, and so even his misadventure with the infamous Corpse Bride was not without merit. Emily was a beautiful woman…dead, yes, but very beautiful and very kind. Sometimes he wondered if, when she had transformed, if had left for good or if she was still there, in the Land of Dead, waiting for somebody to love her.

It was then that Victor finally noticed he had been leaning over the edge of the bridge, his head absorbed with thoughts, and had gone just a little too far. Before he could stop himself his feet flew over his head and, without having the time or courage to scream, he found himself falling into the water below.

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Please review if you like it or have a bit of critism. :-) But please, no flames. They make it hard to sleep at night. (And I'm not kidding, either!)


	2. At Death's Door

**Chapter Two: **At Death's Door

When death comes knocking at our doors, as you might know, it is hard at first to let the unfortunate news set in. You find it impossible to believe what you are hearing, or that you are even hearing it all. When someone says to you, "Your husband is dead," it is most likely that you will stop and be silent, not knowing what to say or do or even what to think. You say to yourself that cannot be real. You pause and stay quiet for what seems like forever…

And then your cry.

That is exactly what happened to Victoria Van Dort the moment she stepped from her daughter's nursery into the hallway, minding her own business, simply wondering where her husband was by know and when he would return. She certainly did not _ask_ for Emil to tap her on shoulder right then, no set emotion on his face, and tell her the unfortunate news. She would have rather been left alone in the library reading a book. But that is what he did. He tapped Victoria lightly on the shoulder and said, very dully, "Madam…I'm afraid I some terrible news indeed. Your husband is dead."

She stared at him long and hard, the rose color leaving her cheeks, eyes wider than saucers. No thoughts fill her head. No thoughts whatsoever drifted into her mind as she said, "What?" with the queerest look on her face. She turned fully around, facing Emil curiously, wondering if she had hard him right. Her husband was _what_? Dead? Of course not…Victor was out for a walk. He would be home any moment now…she knew it. At any moment she would see him walk through the doors, shivering and smiling, holding a huge bouquet of flowers in his hands.

"I said, Madam," muttered Emil, "'Your husband is dead.' I'm terribly sorry, Mrs. Van Dort."

He did not look sorry, that was for sure. He looked as blank and snub as he ever had; and, more importantly, not concerned for Victor at all. Victoria's eyes closed and without caring a single tear fell down her cheek and landed gently on her lips. She tasted the salty flavor and opened her eyes again, as more tears began to fall. Now she felt lost and confused…what on earth was going on, and why had _Emil_ of all people learn of her husband's death before she had? Before she knew it, her tiny body was racked with sobs and she was wailing like an infant, in front of Emil and the other servants, as well as her mother and father.

Lord and Lady Everglot had just entered the room, unbeknownst to Victoria, and were clicking their tongues at their daughter's childish behavior. Lady Everglot whacked her back with a gray and white fan and hissed, "Victoria Everglot, stop this foolishness at once! You are over twenty years old!" But she could not stop, no matter how hard she tried…her body was shaking. She did not care that her mother had not called her by her married name, but her birth name instead. She simply did not _care _that she was in front of a room full of older people. All she cared about was Victor.

Victor Van Dort was confused. He was confused because he was in a strange room, surrounded by strange people (or, at least, their shadows) and did not know why he was there. He was confused because, although the room was strange and the people unfamiliar, he did recognize of all things a voice…a woman was speaking to him, her voice with a thick British accent and yet still as soft and gentle as a woman's voice should be. He could feel her presence in the room; it was cold, dark and mysterious…but at the same time it was extremely romantic. He felt an icy hand touch his own…

And then suddenly he remembered.

It was obvious to him after that that he was dead. He simply _knew _he was. He knew that he was no longer breathing, and that no longer did he have to put up with those common factors of life that he hated so much. Because he was dead. And because he was dead, he was also free. If his heart had been working it would have pounding…_he was among the non-living_!

"New arrival! New arrival!" he heard someone scream, enthusiastically.

He was pulled up gingerly by the same cold hand that had touched his, and then suddenly everyone in the room, who Victor had now recognized as the people of the Land of the Dead, gasped.

Victor and the Corpse Bride had been reunited at last.


	3. Ivory Tears

Chapter Three: Ivory Tears

At first, Victor Van Dort had no idea of what to say, and even when the words came to him he could not seem to let them out. For so long he had been wondering…completely fascinated of the idea that Emily, the Corpse Bride, could have been waiting for him, and now he standing right in front of her and words failed him. She was clasping her hand to her mouth and staring back at Victor with wide surprised eyes, looking taken aback by his blue skin and wet, tattered clothes. He had to admit he was sight; his jacket was soaked and clinging to his thin body, his normally clean gray suit was now dingy and dank, and his jet black hair looked damp and unkept. Sighing, Victor looked around the all too familiar place, only to be greeted by surprised, smiling faces. He tried to smile back and took Emily's hand. 

"Hello, Emily."

"Victor…" she said, staring at him with eyes about the size of dinner plates. "It's been so long!"

She embraced him, and for the first time for what seemed like an eternity he felt the warmness of another person. It was not that he and Victoria had not had a warm, loving relationship; but with the baby and the parents and the dinner parties, it was nearly impossible to spend any time alone together. He had been hoping that his wife would have accompanied him on his morning walk…but quite obviously it had not worked out that way. If Victoria would have accompanied him, perhaps he would not have met his fate like this. Perhaps he would not have died. He could not help but wonder as Emily wrapped her arms around his neck and sighed deeply in her throat, which sounded a bit like a cat purring. He loved feeling like this, feeling the warmness of a friend.

_Dead people aren't supposed to feel anything,_ he thought suddenly, but the thought subsided as Emily spoke again.

"Victor," she whispered, pulling back from him. "What's happened to you?"

Victor was not entirely sure of how to tell Emily the story of his death without upsetting her. Emily was strong but sensitive, and to see her cry over the likes of him would only make him feel uneasier. Or worse she would laugh at him. The way he had died was so ridiculous, so foolish…he had fallen off a bridge while caught up in thought! (Which, he thought sadly, was only something that he would do.) How do you approach a woman who once loved you, and to whom you were once married, after two years of separation? What was he supposed to do? Emily was a person of the past; he had thought that Victoria was his future. And what of Lily? Now that he was dead, he could never spend time with her again…never more could he hear the pleasant sound of her laugh, her little baby girgles, or even the sound of her crying. He would never see her again! Not until she died herself…Victor shuddered at the thought.

"Emily," Victor tried, feeling tears well up in his eyes. "Emily…I am such a fool."

"What on earth do you mean?" she replied, caressing his cheek in her hand, and wiping away fallen tear. "Please, don't cry…" She embraced him again. "I can't stand to see you cry…"

She was sitting in her favorite chair of the house, tears streaming down her beautiful face, utterly perplexed by the situation she was in. Emil was standing in front of she and her parents, no sign of emotion on his face, explaining the tragic death of her husband. _Why does he need to explain? _Victoria thought bitterly. _My husband fell off a bridge and died! It's not rocket science!_ Suppressing a tiny sob, Victoria Van Dort unwillingly continued to listen to Emil's speech.

"…started to fall off the retched bridge without knowing until it was too late. Tragic, indeed, is it not? The Master of the house is dead, my good people, that is all I know. Heard it from the town crier."

"Oh please, someone on God's green earth _please_ tell me that this is a lie!" wailed Victoria, unable to stop herself. "Please tell that he's lying, Mother and Father!"

Holding a hand to her heart, Lady Everglot snapped, "Good heavens child, settle down at once! We do not throw ourselves on the floor!"

It was true, she _had_ thrown herself on to the floor. But Victoria could not imagine a woman in any country of any social status who would not do the same. Breathlessly she said, "I collapsed, Mother," and lifted herself back up and patted her dress. The dress she was wearing was the most beautiful one she owned: jet black with tiny (but still perfectly visible) red roses on the hem and bodice. Victoria especially loved this dress because it had been, though she had never known her personally, her grandmother's dress. This grandmother had been Victoria's namesake and a sort of hero, though she did not know exactly why. _Stop thinking about your grandmother! _She started to stroke her pearls and stared Emil,   
wondering what he would say next.

"I know you all find yourselves upset at the moment," he eyed Lord and Lady Everglot, who did not look the least bit upset at all, "but I must insist you to perk up. After all, the Hendersons will be arriving at six."

And for the third time that day, she threw herself on to the floor.

Victor and Emily were sitting at the same piano that they had played two years ago. Victor was fighting the urge to cry, while Emily was flipping through a book of music, trying to find a proper song to play.

"Ah, here's one!" she said happily, smiling at Victor, who smiled sadly back. She started to play the song with ease, and looked as serene as ever did to Victor, her dead yet lively hands floating across the keys…

The song was the exact duet that they had played before.


	4. Broken Wings

Chapter Four: Broken Wings

Nobody enjoys a funeral. When you are standing there, the casket wide open in front of you, and a person you once knew to be alive and well now lying silently in the thing, there is no possible way to avoid crying. You might try to deny your inner sadness or hide it away from the rest of the people around you, but when you look in the face of the person you once loved (and still do) you find that there is no way to conceal your emotions. Victoria Van Dort was looking around her husband's funeral miserably, her small daughter wrapped securely in her arms. She could not bare the whole thing. All these people, staring at her dead husband like he was nothing more than a dead squirrel. She looked down at her black dress and sniffed a little...nobody cared that the love of her life was gone.

Victoria was pressing her daughter's tiny face into her bosom; she did not want Lily to see her father's cold, stiff body. The girl was far too young to understand the likes of death, and when Victor had been gone for the past few weeks Lily had bawled from her crib nearly all of the day. The sound of her infant sobs made Victoria cringe and shutter; Lily had always been her daddy's girl, and always would be. And that had brought a brand emotion to Victoria's heart: fear. How was she going to raise her child now that her husband was dead? She and Victor had totally depended on each other for the past sixteen months, and now that Victor was gone...how was the widow going to tend to her child's needs?

Well, there were always her parents, she thought bitterly. Victoria had always been some what pushed around by her mother and father, and now that she was a parent herself she found it both foolish and embarrassing to ask for their help. Also, Victoria did not want Lily to be raised the same way that she was. She wanted her child to be able to play beautiful music and run around and not have to wear a corset. If anyone deserve a more sheltered childhood than Victoria's had been, it was not Viola Rosemary Van Dort, and so it would not be. If she had to raise her daughter without a father, then so be it. Her body swelling with emotion, Victoria took an enormous gasp of breath and walked away as the funeral came to an end.

"Lily?" the woman in a filthy old wedding dress said again. "Lily. Oh Victor, I do like that name. It's very lovely."

Smiling and taking her good friend's hands in her own, Emily led him to her coffin and motioned for him to sit down. Uncomfortably he sat down; Victor was used to being in the land of the dead, but it had been a long, long time since he last been with the Corpse Bride, and also he was not all too thrilled about sitting in a coffin. He was still tremendously sad about leaving his wife and daughter behind, and the pain in his heart became even heavier when he talked about them, even with a person he trusted as much as Emily. Surely he had been dead for at least a fortnight now; he had truly not been counting the days. Mostly he had been by Emily's side, as she was trying to help him cope with his new-as she called it-"unlife-style." It was just today that he had started talking about his life after she had left. He described his and Victoria's marriage ceremony (whiling suppressing quite a few laughs, I might add), the troublesome in-laws, and last of all the baby. Victor still could not believe that he would never get to see his child grow up...he had tried to stifle a few tears while telling Emily about the day she was born.

"Yes," he sighed deeply, "Lily was the first thing we thought of calling her. Then Victoria said that it would be better as a nickname, so we named her Viola and called her Lily instead."

"Viola!" Emily chimed, giggling a bit, "like the instrument! Oh, how cute."

Victor grinned at her silliness. "Thank-you." 

"You're welcome," she replied. She was smiling more quietly now, looking into Victor's eyes and making him feel very uneasy. He was no fool (well, not a _huge_ one) and he knew that Emily was very fond of him, no matter how much she denied it.

"Your life sounds wonderful, Victor. I'm so glad you were happy with Victoria. You two deserved each other, you know it? You really did. You love her very much, I can tell, and she loves you as well..."

She stopped herself almost immediately after she said these words, looking-perhaps it was just his imagination-suddenly very pale. She looked at Victor apologetically, but he merely smiled sadly and waved her off. He had decided that he ought to get used to talking about his family.

"You really think it was that obvious?" he asked.

"Well..." she looked very serious and put a blue finger on her chin, "to me it was. Elder Gutneckt says I have an eye for love. I think I'm just a terrible romantic with too much passion."

"_I_ don't think you're too passionate," replied Victor, and then smiled and said, "Emily."

The Corpse finally let go of his hand and closed her eyes, the smirk fading from her face. She looked as if Christmas had been cancelled. A worried sort of feeling came over Victor as he asked her, "Emily, are you alright?"

"Oh yes, I'm fine." Emily opened her eyes and placed her right hand in his lap. He had just noticed a golden band on her ring finger. His eyes widening to the size of large saucers, Victor started to ask another question but was only stopped by Emily's voice.

"Victor...I'm engaged."

Victoria loved visiting her in-laws. Though her husband had always felt uncomfortable around his parents, she found William and Nell Van Dort to be all the more charming. They had treated her kindly since the day she had married their son and now that he was gone, Victoria thought the least she could do was comfort them. After all, she could not possibly imagine losing a child, even if Victor had been an adult. Shivering in the cold, the young widow knocked on the door to the home of her second parents.

Surprisingly, a very weepy looking Nell Van Dort answered the door, not a servant. She took a quick a look at Victoria and the sleeping baby she was carrying and grabbed her free arm, pulling her into the dark house. As soon as she was in and had shut the door behind her, Victoria put a finger to her lips then gestured to Lily, who was breathing warmly on her neck. 

"Of course," said Nell, her voice very hoarse and quiet. One of the servants to took Lily from her arms and Victoria sat down beside William, who also looked a bit weepy, but not so much as his wife. She cleared her throat nervously, unaware of what to say. She finally made her mind and began to speak in a gentle whisper.

"I cannot tell you how sorry I feel for you two, and I can't imagine the pain you must be in...the thought of losing a child astounds me." She paused, and sighed. "I only wish that I could say for certain that everything is going to be okay, but I cannot. Please, do not get too upset," she added, seeing the horrible expression on Nell's chalky face.

"You speak of the pain that _we_ are going through, child, but I hardly can imagine _yours_!" she cried, waving her arms about. Victoria was very taken aback.

"What-what do you mean?"

"Oh Victoria," she sighed. "Surely you know what I mean? You have lost a husband! You and our Victor were practically inseparable, and now because of some silly accident..." she ceased talking and fanned herself ("Settle down now, Nell!" William had said firmly). The older woman looked at her daughter-in-law's face, which was now greatly still. 

Victoria was at a loss for words.


	5. Deep in Discussion

Chapter Five: Deep in Discussion

"Engaged?" asked Victor in a stunned voice, feeling his jaw drop. This was, quite frankly, the very last thing he had expected to hear from Emily. It seemed to him that the lovely corpse had already gained enough pain from marriage to ever want to go back. And yet here she was, sitting in a coffin with a grim little smile on her face, telling him that she was to be married…again.

"Yes," Emily said, her voice hardly above a whisper. "For about a month now."

Victor wondered whether he should be happy or concerned. For one matter, was the expression not "Third time's a charm?" And yet on the other hand, this person who Emily was to be wed could have forgotten this expression and be absolutely horrible, like Lord Barkis. He did not want to see somebody he cared deeply for (though only as a friend) hurt, not for the third time. Emily was a special sort of person…charming, good natured, pretty, polite…but her heart was easily broken, this he knew. Slowly he took her right hand in his, cold though it was, and stared at her ring. It was much more beautiful then the cheap thing Victor had given her. The stone was immensely huge and lustrous, its powerful light causing the entire room to shine. She must have fallen as deeply in love with this little treasure as she had the man who had given to her, Victor thought. It surely must have been worth a fortune.

"You like it, Victor darling?" asked Emily, smiling brightly. "I thought it was a little too much for the likes of me, but Etienne insisted—"

"Etienne?" Victor interrupted, "Is that your fiancée's name?"

She nodded, her eyes widening at the sound if the name. "Yes. We met just a few months after you left, actually. We stayed friends for quite awhile until finally Etienne got the nerve to propose. I had already fallen head over heels for him, so of course I said yes. The man is an absolute saint! And here we are today. The wedding is in a week."

Victor nodded soberly and kept his hand wrapped around hers. Emily was really in love with this man. Deeply, madly in love. If she could have been that interested in him, then he could not be have been terrible at all, he thought. At least not up front. He must have been kind; he knew Emily would not have it any other way. And he must have been charming if he could make her fall "head over heels" for him. Victor only hoped that he was just a persuasive con man like Barkis. Emily did not deserve that kind of pain, not again. And if Etienne was after all a fraud he would do something about it. He _had_ to stop being such a coward in situations such as that.

"Well Emily, I'm extremely happy for you," replied Victor finally, grinning as she beamed at him. "Shall I meet Etienne, then?"

The little girl was staring up at her mother with wide eyes, playing absently with the black buttons on her dress. She was becoming fussy now and Victoria knew it; her daughter needed to be fed soon and then put down for another nap. The young woman sighed and ran a hand through her daughters soft, black hair. She loved Lily with her all of her heart, but breast-feeding was becoming such a hassle nowadays. Perhaps she should start feeding her with a bottle instead. Lily was around the proper age, after all. And it _would_ be so much easier to warm up a bottle for her baby then have to excuse herself from the room and unbutton the top of her dress. Sighing again, Victoria held Lily to her breast and wondered if there were even any bottles in the house.

_No_, she thought suddenly, _there probably aren't. Mother and Father have gotten rid of nearly everything from my childhood. I'll have to get some myself. _It was then that she noticed a very downcast Hildegarde enter the room, twisting her hands in a strange sort of way. When she saw Victoria staring curiously at her, however, she ceased twisting her hands and put them behind her back. "Hello, dearie," she said kindly. "Can Hilda get anything for yeh?"

"No thank-you, Hildegarde," she replied, smiling. "Why ever do you look you so upset?"

"Oh Mrs. Victoria," sobbed the older woman, wiping away the tears from her face with her apron. "I don't wanna upset yeh, I don't. Yer husband havin' passed away and all…I just can't believe it, I can't."

Victoria removed Lily gently as she stopped eating. She was burped very quickly then yawned, obviously tried. Resting the child on her lap with care, Victoria gazed at Hildegarde with sadness in her eyes. Being a servant, she had not been able to attend Victor's funeral the day before, but Victoria knew she had well-liked her husband and was sad he was dead.

"Oh Hildegarde, you haven't upset me in the least! We're all very sad about Victor. You don't have to hide it from me." She smiled sadly and began to bounce Lily on her knee, a little trick she used to calm the baby and help her go to sleep. "I would be more hurt if you didn't cry for my husband, actually," she said thoughtfully. Then, "I love you, Hildegarde."

"Such a kind heart! I love yeh too. Yeh make an old lady feel good again, yeh do. Call fer me if yeh need anythin', dearie." The maid smiled through tears and left the room in silence, and Victoria did not try to stop her. By now Lily was fast asleep and snoring into her mother's gown, and she was quite a light sleeper. So, the young woman lifted her daughter into the next room and laid her in the crib, whispering her a good sleep as she tucked her in.

She was sure that as she left the room, though, she could hear the quiet mumbling of "Daddy…"

Victor Van Dort was sitting in the Ball and Socket, right across from Emily and her fiancée, Etienne. In the short time that they had known each other Victor could tell that Etienne was not a bad man. He was very handsome, but not in a normal way. He looked more like a fairy tale prince, the kind who rode a white horse and saved the princess. He had black hair that went to his broad shoulders, hazel brown eyes, and a great smile. The only thing that was not so princely was his dark blue skin and many scars. But, Victor thought, that was part of being dead. It mad a mess out of all of them. At least he was not a full skeleton. Yes, Etienne was a good man, nothing like Barkis at all. He would be a good husband to Emily and he was not going to run away. If anything one could say that he was a saint, really.

And yet for some reason Victor could not help but hate him...  
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Sorry for the short chappy. I love you all and I really, truly appreciate the comments. In case you don't know what a "fortnight" is (from last chapter) it means two weeks. So Victor has been dead for two weeks.


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